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Photosynthesis

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Essentials of Biochemistry

Abstract

Nearly all energy on Earth is derived either directly or indirectly from the sun. Sunlight is responsible not only for the growth of plants and many bacterial species, but also for the existence of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The sun provides the energy for the “fixing” of CO2 as carbohydrate and the formation of O2 from H2O. This process, the capture of the sun’s light energy to reduce CO2 and oxidize H2O, is known as photosynthesis.

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References

  1. Jagendorf AT, Uribe E (1966) Photophosphorylation and the chemi-osmotic hypothesis. Brookhaven Symposium 19:215–245

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  2. Calvin M (1961) The path of carbon in photosynthesis. Nobel Lecture, Stockholm, Sweden

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Further Readings: Photosystems

  • Allen JF (2004) Cytochrome b6 f: Structure for signaling and vectorial metabolism. Trends Plant Sci 9:130–137

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  • Barber J (2002) Photosystem II: A multisubunit protein that oxidizes water. Curr Opin Struct Biol 12:523–530

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  • Chitnis PR (2001) Photosystem I: function and physiology. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Biol 52:593–626

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  • Fromme P, Melkozernov A, Jordan P, Krauss J (2003) Structure and function of photosystem I: Interaction with its soluble electron carriers and external antenna systems. FEBS Lett 555:40–44

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  • Heathcote P, Fyfe PK, Jones MR (2002) Reaction centers: the structure and evolution of biological solar power. Trends Biochem Sci 27:79–87

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The Light Independent Reactions

  • Cleland WW, Andrews TJ, Gutteridge S, Hartman FC, Lorimer GH (1998) Mechanism of rubisco: the carbonate as general base. Chem Rev 98:549–561

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schnarrenberger C, Martin W (1997) The Calvin cycle – a historical perspective. Photosynthetica 33:331–345

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Fromm, H.J., Hargrove, M.S. (2012). Photosynthesis. In: Essentials of Biochemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19624-9_15

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